


Bravery

by Mira_Image



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 21:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17794949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira_Image/pseuds/Mira_Image
Summary: Explore a rich fantasy world and discover its twisted secrets.Tom is a runaway prince, raised in the slums of the city he could have ruled. In his world, humans acquire magic through the souls of the animal kingdom, trapped in gems. Among these souls are the animal kingdom's four gods, holding unspeakable power. The Queen, Tom's mother, will stop at nothing to kill those possessing the souls of those Gods. Little does she know, Tom has just met one.





	Bravery

"Ah, don't you love a good Pub?" asked the hooded man to the waitress. She's worked at the Creaky Queen for years, and learned to block out the boisterous voices of burly men, or the blaring music of the band. The young waitress looked about her, now seeing how bright and packed the room really was, and felt the energy in the air. Her face slowly wandered back to the cloaked man, and smiled.

"Yes... I do." She admitted shyly. The stranger grinned and finished off his beer, slamming the large glass mug onto the teetering wooden table.

Not too far from him was a barrel-chested man, the loudest in the room. He declared his victory over others in the form of a scratchy holler that was truly the opposite of mellifluous. The huge man-thing lumbered onto the table, puffing out his chest like a proud bird. The waitress flinched as she felt breath on her ear from the mysterious man, who whispered "By the looks of its neck vain, I think it's about to  _speak_."

The maiden giggled, but her answer was lost in the giant man's defiant screech:

"I AM HORRUK, STRONGEST MAN IN ALL OF ORGARD. COME IF YOU DARE TO TRY AND DEFEAT ME IN THIS ARM'S GAME, AND CLAIM THE TITLE AS YOUR OWN!"

The Pub quietened, awaiting a challenger. The waitress watched the room stay still. Another vain throbbed its way into view on the challenger's forehead. He took a deep breath, ready to bellow out his provocation once more.

"Please, for all the Gods, SHUT UP!" Yelled the cloaked man from his chair. The Strongman looked down and frowned, opening his mouth. The hooded man raised a hand for his silence. "No, no. Don't speak, I'd like to keep my ears."

He groaned as he stood from his chair, and as he walked past the waitress he whispered "This ought to be fun."

He coughed a little.

"I bravely accept your challenge, yada yada, let's get to it."

The Pub exploded with cheers and support for the mysterious young man as he approached the table and sat. The enormous beast looked down at him with scorn and disgust.

"What, should I stand on the table too?" asked the sarcastic gentleman. With a growl, the challenger lowered himself into his chair. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation. They look each other's right hand and put their elbows on the wooden table.

"I'M GOING TO BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR ARM!" he hollered, and the rival made as if to laugh, then pulled himself close to the ear of his opponent.

The young waitress watched anxiously as he whispered in Horruk's ear. After a few seconds, he pulled away and the over-confident man was as white as a sheet. Standing by the table, another soul announced the beginning of the arm wrestle. In one second flat, the cloaked man slammed his enemy's fist down, winning the game. There were a few seconds of total stupefied silence, then the Pub erupted into applause and congratulations. The winner stood, dusted himself off, and raised his hand in acknowledgement of his victory and their praise. Horruk, however, hesitantly hoisted his trembling body from his chair, unable to wrap his head around what had just happened.

"Yes, yes, thank you, yes I know I won, hurray..." The talented winner assured and he backed towards the exit. He turned to leave when a gleam of silver flashed in the corner of his eye. He quickly sidestepped the door and pressed his body against the wall, and not one moment later did half a dozen armed guards enter the building. The people in the Pub lowered their voices down to frightened whispers as the largest guard spoke.

"No need to be alarmed, folks, we aren't here to arrest anyone... even though people wanted by the Queen are crawling all over this wretched place. We have come to announce that the young Prince Thomas has been kidnapped, and we offer five hundred gold pieces to whoever returns him unharmed to the castle. The reward will lower by fifty gold pieces for every day he is missing. Expect to see a five-year-old boy with brown hair and green eyes clothed in the finest the world has to offer. That is all."

The guard watched the people murmur uncertainly amongst each other. He coughed. "Also, anyone who returns him to the castle is pardoned of all their past crimes."

And the race was on. People flew out the door as fast as their legs could carry them, uncaring to those who fall. The cloaked stranger waited in the safety of the corner for the room to empty out and the guards to leave. Finally, after everyone'd left the building, the cloaked man walked out at his own leisure. The street was empty, everyone out searching someplace else. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, enjoying the silence of the night. To his left a trash can was knocked over, disturbing his peace. He opened his eyes and saw a flash of white by his knees, taking off into another alleyway. The cloaked man furrowed his bow, perplexed by what that was. It looked like... a boy.

"Hey, wait!" He called out, running after the child. He turned into the alleyway and saw that it was a dead end. As he walked further in, a kitten flew out of the shadows and hissed at him, its fur on end. The man took a step back and removed his hood, revealing short sandy hair and a face full of small white scars.

"It's okay... I'm not taking you anywhere."

He sat down in the middle of the alleyway and watched the kitten calm down, and eventually approach him. It grew and changed shape, and within seconds a child stood before him. His bright green eyes were full of tears and his face was scratched up from falling. His fine attire was ripped and stained, and the man couldn't help but wonder what he'd been through that day.

"You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that." He said, pulling out of his pocket half a loaf of bread. The boy accepted it hungrily and wolfed it down. While he ate, the man dragged himself to the wall and sat with his back to it. Without looking at the child, he asked "You had it all. Protection, wealth, power... why did you run away?" The boy's head shot up in shock, and the man chuckled. "They're telling people you were kidnapped, but I'm not buying it. So why did you—"

Without warning the child burst into tears, crawling to the man's side. He gripped his cloak with his tiny hands, burying his face into it. The man jumped a little at the sudden show of emotions, and patted the boy's head.

"Hey... I get it. If you don't want to go back you don't have to, but that means giving up royalty... and losing everything."

The child stopped crying and looked up, staring into the stranger's eyes.

"I've already lost everything."


End file.
